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Bike MS: TOYOTA Best Dam Bike Ride Results

This year’s ride from Pewaukee to Madison has raised more than $1 million

(HARTLAND, WISCONSIN) – The 30th annual Bike MS: TOYOTA Best Dam Bike Ride held August 3 and 4 has raised more than $1 million toward this year’s $1.5 million goal. The funds will be used for multiple sclerosis-related research, as well as programs and services for the more than 10,000 children, women and men diagnosed with MS in the state. Donations are still being accepted by phone at (262) 369-4400 (toll-free 800-242-3358) and online at www.wisMS.org (click on “Donate”). To support a specific rider or team, visit www.bestdambikeride.org.

Wisconsin is believed to have one of the higher MS prevalence rates in the nation. Since last year’s ride, two new oral therapies have been approved by the FDA for the most common forms of MS. More than a dozen therapies are on the horizon. Funds from events such as Bike MS: TOYOTA Best Dam Bike Ride have helped generate those advancements.

More than 1,700 cyclists and volunteers took part in the weekend. Cyclists chose from 50-, 75- or 100-mile routes each day and committed to raising a minimum of $300 each.

The first day of the ride went from Waukesha County Technical College’s Pewaukee Campus to UW-Whitewater, where an evening celebration was held. On Sunday riders left from UW-Whitewater and rode to the finish line at WPS Health Insurance campus in Madison.

Cyclists were treated to a fully-supported weekend, including rest stops every 8-12 miles, support vehicles along the route, medical and mechanical staff, lodging, food and entertainment. TOYOTA was this year’s presenting sponsor. Other sponsors included WPS Insurance, Columbia St. Mary’s, UW Health, American Family Insurance, First Bank Business, Madison Gas & Electric and MillerCoors. Registration for the 2014 event is already open.

About Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are leading to better understanding and moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 2.3 million people worldwide.